Happy #2 Birthday Cole!

You have brightened our lives since the day you were born.

You are so adventureous and ready to go - although not with just anyone. 

You love keeping up with your brothers and bugging them a bit too!

Happy #2 Birthday Colee!  We love you and can't wait to see what God's does with your life!

Haircuts!

I have been thinking of trying to cut the boys' hair for a long time - thinking it looked so easy when I took them to the hairstylist.  Well, I know its NOT easy but then a friend of mine forwarded me this link and I thougth I'd give it a try. 


http://frugalfun4boys.com/2011/07/03/how-to-do-a-boys-haircut-with-clippers/



Here's how it turned out.

Caiden before.

Caiden after.

Caiden front shot before.

Caiden front shot after (I got his bangs a little short but his hair grows so fast!).

Dawson front shot before.

Dawson front shot after.

Dawson before.

Dawson after.

Cole after...we didn't have time to get a before shot with him.  :-)

Binder Family Rules

It seems like many in blogland have been coming up with their own set of family rules.  I loved the idea and have been wanting to put one together for a while.  With our dining room redo and not a lot of money to spend on wall art, I decided to make our family rules as a centerpiece for the room.  I love how it turned out. 

I used the step-by-step instructions from April Moffitt Design - http://www.aprilmoffattdesign.com/craft-tutorials/family-rules-canvas/ to put this together.  The only thing I did different was I printed the rules on the scrapbook paper using our home computer and printer, rather than writing them on the paper.  I'm not confident in my handwriting abilities.  Check out all the designs online, pull your family together and make your own!

A Dining Room Redo

I have been wanting to paint our dining room for a very long time now.  It was the first room in the house that we painted when we bought the place in 2003.  I wanted something bold so we went with a dark blue and used white and beige as accent colors.  We are so proud of how it turned out.

We painted the fireplace white - a very big deal!  It turned out so great!

Labor Day Weekend Camping

We had a great time camping Labor Day weekend with the Thompson family.
We did have to come home early due to rain but that worked out ok.

On Saturday, the kids got to enjoy the beach along the lake.

Dawson's First Day of Kindergarten

Its a big year for Dawson - headed to kindergarten - and breaking his momma's heart.

Here the boys are...all ready to go!

Outside his classroom - he was so excited!  Praying for you to have
a most wonderful first year of school, my little buddy!

Caiden's First Day of School - 2nd Grade

2nd Grade Already!  Ah...this momma's heart is hurting!

Getting some love from his brothers.

All ready to go!  Praying for a fabulous year for you, my sweet boy!

Dawson's 5th Birthday is Cheesy...

at Chuck-E-Cheese, of course!  That was the place he wanted to go and there was no changing his mind.  He had a great day with some great friends!

His CARS2 cake!

Meeting Chuck-E or is it just Chuck?

Getting "crowned" by CEC.

Getting ready for the TICKETBLASTER!

This was his favorite part!

Um..yeah...brotherly love!

He will never forget this one!

BINDERS + BEBOWS = lots of BOYS

Mandy and her two big boys, Karson (age 6) and Sawyer (age 4) came to visit us for the weekend of Dawson's birthday.  We have been friends since 2nd grade and kept in touch over the years.  It is so cool that our kids are friends.  We visit them every time we head back to Michigan. 

The boys had a blast together!

Awww....what a nice pic!

Acting like they like each other!

Super Silly!

Cole finally catches on!

Summer Fun!

Here's a look at a few things we did around the house during the summer months. 

Dawson as "Peter Pan."

Cole dressed as a ...um, I'm not sure.

Here are all 3 boys together, with Caiden dressed as someone from Star Wars.

The big boys built boats to see if they would float.

Trying them out!

Success!  Its amazing what some tape and a paper plate will do!

Success #2...before Cole jumps in and stirs everything up!
Ah...summer fun!

Dawson Makes the Move to 2 Wheels

Dawson learned how to ride on 2 wheels this summer!  Way to go Buddy!

Happy #5 Birthday Dawson!

Its hard to believe that its been 5 years since we first were able to hold you.
From the moment you were born, you kept us guessing what you would do next.

You are loving, fun and always rambunctious - never a dull moment when you are around!

You let everyone around you know how much you love them.
Many times throughout the day I get to hear..."I love you Momma."
You give the best HUGS and you hand them out abundantly!

You have lots of friends that like to be around you.  You love your friends
and ask for them often.



We pray that God catches your heart and raises you up to be mighty warrior for Him.
With your loving spirit and crazy antics, we pray you will serve Him with determination & charisma.
We wouldn't want it any other way.  Love you little man!
Momma & Daddy